


Only Human

by Fox_the_Hermit



Category: Bleach
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 04:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21112397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fox_the_Hermit/pseuds/Fox_the_Hermit
Summary: For such an intelligent soul, sometimes he is so ridiculously stupid.





	Only Human

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes you just wanna doodle a tiny snip of tooth-rotting fluff

“Urahara-san, when’s the last time you slept? You look awful.” Ichigo is leaning against the doorway to the lab, eyes fixed on the man writing feverishly in a notebook. The table is littered with papers, bottles and containers and metal parts that Ichigo can’t identify. Urahara looks up, and Ichigo sees dark rings under sunken, dull grey eyes. “Go to bed, now.”

“Kurosaki-san, I’m  _ busy _ . You know that. I have to-” He starts coughing, the sound unpleasantly loud and wet. His voice is cracked and strained, from stress and tiredness both.

“How long have you since you had a proper rest?” he says, coming over to the shopkeeper. Ichigo can see that the paper KIsuke was writing on is covered with sloppy signs and symbols, a shorthand language, but not the usual neatly written lines. 

“I- I don’t know. Weeks?” The shopkeeper sounds slightly hysterical. “Kurosaki-san, I need to work. Please, leave me be.”

Ichigo stares. “ _ Fuck _ , Urahara-san. Are you completely out of your mind, or are you just a masochist?”

“Does it matter? I’m managing without, there’s so much to  _ do _ -” His voice breaks off again and he’s gasping for breath, propping himself against the table. A pile of notes cascades to the floor in a cloud of paper. Ichigo winces.

“If you don’t sleep, you won’t be  _ able _ to do anything. You can’t talk without choking, for fuck’s sake.“ Ichigo pauses, hoping that he’s getting through, and he’s pretty sure he is, judging by how Urahara slumps onto the table in defeat. “You’re only human. Now c’mon, I’ll haul you to your room.”

Urahara doesn’t resist when Ichigo pulls him to his feet, but his legs look like they’re about to give out. Ichigo lets Urahara lean against him, and bears most of his weight on the way to the bedroom. Ichigo gives him a few moments to change to bed clothed, before checking to see that he is actually going to sleep. He watches Urahara lie down on the futon and curls up on his left side, arms wrapped around himself, wracked with small tremors, makes Ichigo feel… something. 

Pity, he realises. Urahara looks frail and delicate, overworked to the point of wasting away. And it’s not like his effort isn’t invaluable and irreplaceable in their war. Ichigo knows that without this genius they wouldn’t have survived the past four years. But he doesn’t think that Urahara working himself to death would help anyone.

Well, Ichigo was going to sleep anyway. Doesn’t matter where, does it?

And it’s not like everyone in this place hasn’t already had a bizarre bedmate because they ended up stranded on a tiny ledge somewhere in Hueco Mundo at night when they needed to sleep.

He doesn’t realise what he’s doing until he’s already settling himself on the futon next to Urahara.

“Kurosaki-san? What-”

“You look like you’re freezing. And how do I know you aren’t going to run off back to work if I leave you alone?”

“...Thank you, Kurosaki-san” Urahara whispers, as he moves to press his back to Ichigo’s chest, and Ichigo’s arm wraps around him, pulling him closer. His trembling slowly diminishes, breathing evening out.

For such an intelligent soul, sometimes he is so ridiculously stupid.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Something old I found that might make someone smile! And by old I mean 16 y/o me wrote it.
> 
> Kudos and reviews welcome <3


End file.
